sonicwfandomcom-20200216-history
Michel Legrand
| birth_place = Paris, France | death_date = | death_place = Neuilly-sur-Seine, France | years_active = 1952–2019 | occupation = Film score composer Jazz pianist | awards = Academy Award for Best Original Song 1968 The Thomas Crown Affair Academy Award for Best Original Score 1971 Summer of '42 1983 Yentl BAFTA Award for Best Film Music 1971 Summer of '42 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song 1968 The Thomas Crown Affair AFI Award Best Original Score 1991 Dingo }} Michel Jean Legrand ( ; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many songs. His scores for the films of French New Wave director Jacques Demy, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), earned Legrand his first Academy Award nominations. Legrand won his first Oscar for the song "The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Life and career Legrand, who was of Armenian descent, was born in Paris to his father, Raymond Legrand, who was himself a conductor and composer, and his mother, Marcelle Ter-Mikaëlian, who was the sister of conductor Jacques Hélian. Raymond and Marcelle were married in 1929. Legrand composed more than two hundred film and television scores. He won three Oscars and five Grammys. He studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris from age 11, working with, among others, Nadia Boulanger and graduated with top honors as both a composer and a pianist. He burst upon the international music scene at 22 when his album I Love Paris became a surprise hit. He established his name in the United States by working with such jazz stars as Miles Davis and Stan Getz. His sister Christiane Legrand was a member of the Swingle Singers and his niece Victoria Legrand is a member of the indie rock duo Beach House. Legrand composed music for Jacques Demy's films The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1966), and appeared and performed in Agnès Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7 (1961). He also composed music for The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) (which features "The Windmills of Your Mind"), The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (1970), ''The Go-Between'' (1971), Summer of '42 (1971), Orson Welles's last-completed film F for Fake (1974) and would later compose the score for Welles's posthumously-released movie The Other Side of the Wind (2018). He also composed the score for Yentl (1983), as well as the film score for Louis Malle's film Atlantic City (1980). His instrumental version of the theme from Brian's Song charted 56th in 1972 on the ''Billboard'''s pop chart. Legrand died of sepsis, during the night of 25 to 26 January 2019, at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, where he had been hospitalized for two weeks for a pulmonary infection. His funeral was held in Paris at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on 1 February 2019. He was interred at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. He remained active until his death and had concerts scheduled to take place in the spring. Musical theatre In 1997, Legrand composed the score for the musical Le Passe-muraille, with a book by Didier Van Cauwelaert. It premiered on Broadway in 2002 as Amour and was translated into English by Jeremy Sams and was directed by James Lapine. This musical was his Broadway debut and he was nominated for a Tony Award in 2003 for Best Score . Later he recorded Legrand Affair with Melissa Errico, a 100-piece symphony orchestra that included songs with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The world premiere of the new musical Marguerite from Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the creators of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, included music by Michel Legrand and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Marguerite is set during World War II in occupied Paris, and was inspired by the romantic novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils. It premiered in May 2008 at the Haymarket Theatre, London and was directed by Jonathan Kent. Discography Awards Legrand has won three Oscars (from 13 nominations), five Grammys, and was nominated for an Emmy. His first Academy Award win was in 1969 for the song "The Windmills of Your Mind", followed with the Academy Award for his music for Summer of ’42 in 1972 and for Yentl in 1984. Following are a selection of the awards and nominations with which Legrand's works have been honored: Academy Award awards and nominations Source: AllMovie"Legrand Awards", AllMovie.com, retrieved January 30, 2019 * Best Original Score, Substantially Original Score: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1965) - nomination"1965 Academy Awards", Infoplease.com, retrieved January 29, 2019 * Best Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical): The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) - nomination"1968 Academy Awards", Infoplease.com, retrieved January 29, 2019 * Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score: The Young Girls of Rochefort (1968) - nomination * Best Original Dramatic Score: Summer of '42 (1971) (won) * Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score: Yentl (1983) (won) * Best Original Song: ** "I Will Wait for You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1965) - nomination ** "The Windmills of Your Mind" (won) from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) - win ** "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" from The Happy Ending (1969) ** "Pieces of Dreams" from Pieces of Dreams (1970)"'Pieces of Dreams' Awards", Tcm.com, retrieved January 30, 2019 ** "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" from Best Friends (1982) ** "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" and "The Way He Makes Me Feel" both from Yentl (1983) Golden Globe awards and nominations Source: All Movie * Original Score: ** The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)" 'The Thomas Crown Affair' Golden Globe Winners and Nominees", Goldenglobes.com, retrieved January 30, 2019 ** The Happy Ending (1969) ** Wuthering Heights (1970) ** Le Mans (1971) ** Summer of '42 (1971) ** Lady Sings the Blues (1972) ** Breezy (1973) ** Yentl (1983)" 'Yentl' Golden Globe Winners and Nominees" goldenglobes.com, retrieved January 30, 2019 * Original Song: ** "The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) (won) ** "What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" from The Happy Ending (1969) ** "Pieces of Dreams" from Pieces of Dreams (1970) ** "Breezy's Song" from Breezy (1973) ** "Yesterday's Dreams" from Falling in Love Again (1980) ** "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from Yentl (1983) Grammy Award awards and nominations Source: Grammy.com"Michel Legrand Grammy wards", Grammy.com, retrieved January 29, 2019 *Best Instrumental Composition: "[[Summer of '42#Music|Theme from Summer of '42 (The Summer Knows)]]" (1971) - win *Best Instrumental Arrangement: "Theme From Summer Of '42" (1971) - nomination *Best Pop Instrumental Performance: "Theme From Summer Of '42" (1971) - nomination * Best arrangement accompanying vocalist: What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? (Sarah Vaughan) (1972) - win * Song of the year: "The Summer Knows" from Summer of '42 (1972) - nomination * Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "The Summer Knows" (1972) - nomination * Best instrumental composition: "Brian's Song" TV (1972) - win * Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special: The Three Musketeers (1974) - nomination * Best Instrumental Composition: "Images" (1975) win * Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band: "Images" (1975) win * Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special: Yentl (1984) - nomination * Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals: Yentl (Barbra Streisand) (1984) - nomination *Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals: "Nature Boy" (track from "Unforgettable") (1991) - nomination"Other Grammy Nominees" Los Angeles Times, January 10, 1991 *Best Instrumental Arrangement: "Where Or When" (Track from: "Happy Radio Days", Erato Records) (1998) - nominationStaff. "Grammy Nominations List, page 3" Variety, January 5, 1999 Theatre nominations * Tony Award for Best Original Score: Amour (2002)[http://www.playbill.com/production/amour-music-box-theatre-vault-0000002571# Amour] Playbill (vault), retrieved January 29, 2019 * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Outstanding Orchestrations: Amour (2002) Emmy Award nominations * Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special (Dramatic Underscore): A Woman Called Golda TV (1982)"34th Emmy Awards-Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or Special (Dramatic Underscore) - 1982", Emmys.com, retrieved January 29, 2019 Fennecus nominations * Song score, original or adaptation: Yentl (1983) * Original song: "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from Yentl (1983) Apex nominations * Original score, comedy: Best Friends (1982) * Original song, drama: "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from Yentl (1983) * Original song score/adaptation/compilation, drama: Yentl (1983) Australian Film Institute Award * Best Original Music Score: Dingo (1991) win" 'Dingo' Miscellaneous Notes", Tcm.com, retrieved January 30, 2019 Prix Moliere Award * Best musical (1997): Le Passe-Muraillefr:Le Passe-muraille (French stage version of Amour)Sommer, Elyse. "Review, 'Amour'", Curtainup.com, October 24, 2002 ASCAP * Henry Mancini Award, awarded by ASCAP, for Le Passe-Muraille (1998)"Awards List", Legrandofficial.com"ASCAP Henry Mancini Award", Ascap.com, retrieved January 30, 2019 Golden Eagle Award * Golden Eagle Award: Outstanding contribution to world cinema (2002) Others * In 2018, asteroid 31201 Michellegrand was named in his honour. References External links * * Michel Legrand at the British Film Institute * * * Interview with Michel Legrand at the Press Launch for Margeruite in London UK }} Michel Legrand Category:1932 births Category:2019 deaths Category:20th-century conductors (music) Category:21st-century conductors (music) Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Category:Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Conservatoire de Paris alumni Category:Easy listening musicians Category:French conductors (music) Category:French expatriates in the United States Category:French film score composers Category:French jazz composers Category:French jazz pianists Category:French male conductors (music) Category:French male pianists Category:French music arrangers Category:French musical theatre composers Category:French people of Armenian descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jazz arrangers Category:Male film score composers Category:Male jazz composers Category:Musicians from Paris Category:Philips Records artists Category:Prix Benois de la Danse winners Category:Pupils of Nadia Boulanger Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Alan and Marilyn Bergman Category:Lalo Schifrin Category:Barbra Streisand Category:Don Black (lyricist)